Thursday, 25 October 2012

Jason Petrie is a sneaker designer who once plied his trade for Fila before realising his true potential at Nike. If you frequently trawl the archives, forums and trending discussions on
NikeTalk, at some point you'll have come across Jason Petrie's written and pictorial
contributions. He is a designer that for years has quietly continued to wow us and and give us aesthetically
pleasing, forward thinking performance products with his own signature
flair. I would happily tip him to eventually achieve the profile that Aaron Cooper or Eric Avar have managed during their careers. This may be a highly subjective sentiment but if you were in any doubt let these images persuade you otherwise.

Thursday, 11 October 2012

Out of the 78 creatives chosen to challenge the function of Nike shoes in the Nike 78 project, Dan Mather's attempt to transform a pair of Nike sneakers into cycling shoes may have the greatest repercussions for the sneaker community. As he rightly states, "cycling shoes are generally designed with one purpose in mind; for transferring power from your foot to the pedal, with most efficiency". Naturally, the balance between aesthetic and function is ignored. For the recreational cyclist who may prefer to priorities aesthetics over function, is currently forced to cycle with a traditional pedal kept either open or to increase performance, worn with clips and straps. In the later set up the shoe is subject to wear, damage and eventual deterioration. This is a dilemma that faces any sneaker enthusiast with a disposition for cycling. Carrying a spare pair may seem like an obvious answer but given the frequency of rides one would have yearly, the impracticality of carrying a spare pair and having to change footwear becomes apparent. So Mather's proposal of marrying a bicycle shoe and a sneaker together is not such a bad idea. To quote him directly again, "Nike shoes are ubiquitous with fashion and popular culture irrespective of sport, so I have transformed my Nikes into a pair of cycling shoes that strike the balance between function and aesthetics, creating a pair of functional, yet desirable sneakers you can wear both on and off the bike".

Judging from the pictures alone, the finished product is not quite there. The profile of the plate and clip still protrudes too much from the sole of the Waffle Racer. The problem is only compounded further by the clip failing to be of equal measurement to the protrusion of the pimples on the sole. If the shoe was to work as a true hybrid the plate and clip would need to be set deeper into the sole in order accommodate the wearing down of the pimples when walking for an extended period of time. A good example of how the concept might have been executed better is like the image below.

The exact working methods of Dam Mather are unknown but I will attempt to explain how a better finish could be achieved.

Firstly the choice of shoe is important for it's integral to avoid the cleat ripping out of the sole from the sheer volume of power transferred between your foot and the pedal. A general rule of thumb is any sneaker with a polyerethane base instead of the regular EVA foam is best as under extreme pressure it doesn't compress as easily. Also Nike Air Zoom technology is a safe bet because the
air in the Zoom unit(s) is pressurized, while the regular non-zoom air
units are not. If that is all too much to remember the thicker the sole unit the better. The Nike Air Force 1 should be the benchmark. Now for the technical details as supplied by Retrofitz:

21) Use a removed liner to trace and cut the profile on 0.25" thick UHMW cutting board

22) The steel rule die will lightly cut the into the UHMW cutting board

23) The UHMW cutting board protects the interior of the shoe from being cut by the die

24) Secure steel rule die to shoe25) Align die edges with tape26) Use 1.5" wide tape to secure the shoe27) Use generous amount of tape to wrap around top of shoe28) Confirm die is aligned with the centerline of the shoe29) Measure twice, cut once!

30) Cut hole

31) Repeat previous steps for shoe 2

32) Confirm the steel rule die is placed in the same place on the right shoe as on the left

33) It is mandatory that the cuts are accurately "mirrored" to the opposite shoe for proper cleat alignment

34) Measure twice, cut once!

35) Insert hole boring to shoe

36) Insure the UHMW cutting board is cut to fit inside shoe interior woth room to spare, otherwise it may cause the fixture to twist and be mis-aligned relative to the cut hole